


The Ward

by DragonQueen2097



Series: The Newest Apprentice [1]
Category: Ranger's Apprentice - John Flanagan
Genre: Childhood Memories, Gen, Will's new Apprentice
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-28
Updated: 2020-08-10
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:35:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,803
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24963136
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DragonQueen2097/pseuds/DragonQueen2097
Summary: A few years after Maddie's apprenticeship ends, Will finds a ward of Redmont in the fig tree and encourages her to become a ranger.  This is her story.
Series: The Newest Apprentice [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1828537
Comments: 2
Kudos: 18





	1. Figure in the Fig Tree

Will walked up the path to the castle. His stomach rumbled in anticipation of dinner with Halt and Pauline. As he walked, his eyes scanned the familiar walls of Redmont. It was a clear evening, and the evening sun made the ironstone walls glow, proving once again the appropriateness of the castle’s name. As he scanned the walls, his eyes caught on a familiar fig tree, and more importantly, a small figure in the highest branches. 

(That’s odd). He thought to himself, (I wonder who that is. Apparently, I’m not the only one to use those branches).  
It had been many years since he himself had climbed that particular tree. As he passed under it, he glanced up briefly, but decided to leave the tree’s occupant to themselves, and soon, the figure in the fig tree passed from his mind.

After dinner, he thanked Halt and Pauline, downed the last bit of coffee from his mug, and bid them a farewell for the evening. He exited down the stairs from their apartment, and left through the same door he had entered. He glanced up once more as he saw the tree, and noticed that the small figure was still there. A moment of hesitation held him briefly, then on an impulse, he slipped though the shadows to the tree, and moved smoothly up the tree. 

As he got about half way up, the figure glanced down at him. He noticed that it was a young girl, who looked about 15 or so. Her blue eyes were wet with tears, and she stared at him for a moment before shuffling slightly, and turning away from him. 

“I’m not coming down.” She said, as Will got close to her position in the tree. 

He paused, noticing that he was no longer able to make it into the highest branches. “Well, I wasn’t trying to get you down. I was actually just wondering why someone would be up in this tree. It’s not the easiest to climb you know.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Says that guy who just climbed it.”

He shrugged. “True. But that still doesn’t answer why you’re up here.”

“I don’t feel like being down there.” She said, wiping her eyes on her sleeve. “There are people and such down there, and not up here.”

Will smiled at her. He was a little thrown off that this girl was being so open. He had recently become familiar with the wary reaction most people had around rangers, but this girl seemed to have none of that. “I used to feel that same way.”

She looked up at that. “You are the one who used to climb this tree all the time?”

Yeah, how’d you know?” He wondered. 

She pointed to the branches. “There are places were the branches are worn, as if someone climbed up here often. I have always wondered who it was.” 

He smiled. The girl was observant. "Yep, I did. A long time ago. I was a little castle ward then, and sometimes it was easiest to escape to this tree."

"You were one of the wards?" She asked. Tilting her head to the side.

He nodded, remembering those days, longer ago than he cared to think. 

They sat in silence for a while then, both looking down as a group of people left from the door below them, but the two in the tree were unnoticed, as the group never looked up, as most never do. Eventually, Will looked back up to the young girl. 

"So, any particular reason you've graced the tree with your presence tonight, or is it just one of those days?" He asked, shifting to lean on the tree's thick trunk. 

She sighed. "Choosing day is tomorrow."

His eyebrows rose. He hadn't thought of choosing day in several years. "And you don't have a choice yet?" He wondered, although he felt he already had the answer.

She simply shook her head , and lowered it to her chest, tears welling up in her eyes once more. "No. I don't know what to pick. Everyone else knows what they want to be. But I don't. I don't feel that any of the options are right for me." She crossed her arms and tried to make herself even smaller. 

Will's sighed in sympathy. "I remember that feeling." He told her. "I wanted to be a knight, and go to battle school, but I was too small. Still am in fact." 

Her eyes met his briefly. 

He pursed his lips. "So, talk me through it. Tell me why you won't fit for the options."

She looked down at him. Wiping her nose and eyes with her sleeve, she sighed again. “Well, obviously, I won’t be in battle school or horse school. Even if I was a boy, I am too small. Scribe school wouldn’t work, since I hate being stuck indoors, and my handwriting is not always legible. And I don’t think I could be a diplomat.” She shrugged, then stared off across the grounds of the castle. 

Will grinned softly. “I understand. What about cooking? You could apprentice with Master Chubb.”

She rolled her eyes at him. “ I don’t think so. Stuck in a kitchen, with the threat of a ladle over my head all the time? No thank you."

He laughed. "Fair enough. Not many choose to brave the deadly ladle."

A few more moments of silence passed. On the castle grounds and farther, in the forest a few of the nocturnal sounds were replacing the sounds of the late evening. 

The girl sighed again. " I guess I will just be put to work somewhere else. In the village, or maybe on one of the farms."

Will looked to her, his heart breaking slightly at her face, staring off into the distance with tears tracing their way down her cheeks. He sat up, and without really thinking, said "What about becoming a ranger?"

Startled, she looked at him. "I could do that?" 

He nodded, thinking to himself. (It's been a year or so since Maddie graduated. I could take a new apprentice. If she wants.) He looked up at the girl. "You could. It's not usually one of the options, but if you think you would like to, then I would be willing to train you." 

She looked at him. "Maybe. I don't know."

"Well, think about it." Will told her, smiling gently. Then he paused. "Shoot. I just remembered something."

"What?" She asked, swinging her legs so they hung off the branch towards him.

He bit his lip as he thought, and rubbed his beard. "I have to leave first thing in the morning, there's an issue out west I need to look into. But, that won't matter for your decision. Just tell the baron tomorrow, and I will let someone know about it, so it can be taken care of. If you do decide to try out being a ranger."

The girl nodded, twisting a lock of her curly red hair between her fingers. "Ok." 

Will started to go back down the tree, then paused. "I didn't catch your name, what was it again?"

"Oh, I'm Marlena. But you can call me Lena." 

"And you can call me Will." He said. "And good luck at choosing day tomorrow."

Lena watched as he climbed down the tree and dropped lightly to the ground, and watched as he slipped into the shadows of the ground, disappearing from sight.

(Maybe I can be a ranger. It would have to be an adventure.) Lena though to herself. She smiled. That sounded good enough for her.


	2. Choosing Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Marlena heads into her choosing day, she reflects on the choice given to her by the Ranger Will Treaty, to become a ranger, should she choose and have a difficult life, but full of adventure, or try her hand at something else.

Marlena rose early the next morning. As she attempted to tame her mass of red curls, she stared out the small window of the bedroom she shared with a fellow year mate, Kierra Nirall. The morning light was pale, the air darkened by a steady rainfall. Kierra was still sleeping, but she also didn’t have any worries for today. The other girl already had plans to be a scribe, and with her perfect penmanship, she was sure to get it. The other three in their year group also new what they were doing. Mirabelle already had a planned position to be a stewardess for castle Redmont, and the twins, Alex and Ben were both headed to battle school to become knights. 

Watching the rain, Lena sighed. Did she want to be a ranger? The other wards already thought her to be odd. She was an outcast among them already. Mirabelle was the oldest, and had always excluded her, since she and Kierra had claimed the two boys, and they had all arrived in the ward around the same time, due to an illness that had passed through the area. The four of them had always paired off and left Lena alone, and she had been here much longer, yet was still almost a year younger then they were. Most days Lena was fine with to be left alone, as it allowed her to have a quiet time to read and explore the castle. 

In addition, Lena was different from the others because, just like the famous Ranger Will, she had no family name. She hadn't quite been dropped off at the doorstep one morning. No, her mother, Sabrina, had come to the castle in labor, looking for aid. The pregnancy had been difficult, and she had barley survived to tell the matron her daughter's name. Then she had passed, leaving a baby without a parent. The matron had decided to pass Lena off to the ward, and so there she was, 15 years later, with practically no knowledge of her family. 

Suddenly, Kierra sat up, and gasped, startling he roommate. "ITS CHOOSING DAY!!!" Kierra sang, jumping up and twirling around. She grabbed her brush from her side table and with four long quick strokes she straightened her already straight black hair. She then dug through her chest and pulled on her favorite purple dress. She twirled one more time, and skipped out the door, sticking her tongue out at Lena and she left.

Lena rolled her eyes. How that girl was going to be a scribe she had no idea. (Maybe they will like her out.) she thought with a grin. She looked in the tiny mirror and shrugged. (My hair isn't going to look any better, no matter how long I try to fix it. I don't even know why I try.) She made sure her dress was straight, and then followed Kierra out the door to find breakfast, not that she would be able to eat much. 

She arrived at the common area to find the other four wards already eating. Mostly. Kierra had one roll in her hand, and both hands were waving about in the air, and she talked animatedly with Mirabelle, who was braiding her long dark brown hair and laughing at her friend. Alex and Ben were arm wrestling, which was a common occurrence. 

As she sat, Lena picked up a fresh roll from the basket, and opened the jar of preserves to put on the roll. She ignored the giggles from the other two girls as they pointed out her hair. Today had been a particularly difficult morning, and her hair had put up a fight. 

"Hey No-Name," they called to her. "I thought we weren't allowed pets?"

Against her better judgement, she glanced at them. 

"Yeah, with hair like yours, everyone must think that you have a family of rats living in it." Kierra taunted, her green eyes narrowed in a glare. 

Mirabelle laughed. "No, little baby got rid of the rats, remember, now it's a family of vultures."

The younger girl turned away, her cheeks flaring as red as her hair. It wasn't her fault she had thick, dark red hair that was made thicker by the heavy curls. Often, she just put into a braid to hold it back from her face, but today she had given up on that, and had just let it hang lose. 

She could stand the comments about her hair, she cursed it out often enough herself, but it was the comment of no-name that hurt. That, and where she was the youngest of the wards, she was often called Baby as well. She was actually on the younger side of 15, where the others were older. She had been bumped up to this choosing day to not leave her alone for a year until the next one. 

The boys were laughing with the two girls now, and she suddenly decided she no longer wanted to be in the same room.

Lena stood, and since she couldn't resist, said "At least I don't look like a monkey that learned how to talk." She she stood, and walk to the small sitting room, where she sat with her book, ignoring the calls and taunts from the others. 

She was still there when Anna, the ward matron, collected her and the others to go and see the Baron and his craftmasters. 

The five wards lined up in the barons office, with Martin shouting at them as he had at all the past wards. 

"Line up please! At attention! Size order please! Boys stop shoving, I don't care which is first if you're the same size!" He shouted. "Alright then, lets proceed." He then turned and stood at attention as Baron Arald entered the room. The baron smiled at the candidates as they stood there, uncomfortably. He knew how uncomfortable and nervous they all were. He never understood it, but he knew it happened with every year group as they came through. 

Then, the craftmasters came in, and lined up in the place they always took during this occasion. 

"Well then, shall we get started now?" The baron asked, looking down the row of adults. 

They nodded, and he looked to Martin.

Martin took his cue, and said loudly, "Alright who's first, who's first. You there, the girl on the end." He pointed at Kierra who was taller than the twins by several centimeters. "Give your name and tell the baron where you would like placed. Quickly please."

Kierra stepped forward and shook her black hair back behind her shoulders. " I'm Kierra Nirall, My Lord, and I wish to be a scribe please." She smiled, and did a little curtsy towards the Baron and craftmasters. 

The baron looked to George Carter, who had taken over for Nigel, the previous scribesmaster a few years before. George looked at her, and nodded. " I have seen Miss Nirall's work and I would be honored to teach her." He looked over to Kierra. "If you could please report tomorrow at 8, I will get you settled in with us." He smiled, and Kierra nodded, curtsied again and stepped back into line. 

Martin looked to Alex the next in line, but before he could say anything, the twins stepped forward together and said in unison. "We're the Fallows Twins, and we wish to go to battle school sir." 

The baron, and the others in the room chuckled. "Well, I see you've got teamwork down. Battle master, what say you?" Arald turned to Sir Rodney to see his response. 

The knights rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Well, as long as the two of you can work with others, and separately, I'll take you. With the three month probation period of course. I'll see you two first thing in the morning then."

The two boys nodded in return, and stepped back into line, grinning, then ruined part of the effect by shoving each other and laughing. 

Martin, not to be superseded again, called out, "Boys, settle down. Alright then, next in line, miss." He gestured to Mirabelle. She stepped forward and inclined her head to the adults at the head of the room. "I am Mirabelle Longsword, My lord. I believe that I already have a place with the beginning stewards and stewardesses." 

Baron Arald looked at her, then at Martin, who had looked down at his notes. "Yes, My Lord. Madame Cornwell has left a note that she has already prepared a place for Miss Longsword to join them tomorrow at 8."

The baron looked to Mirabelle and smiled. "Well then. I wish you luck. I advise you not to be late. Mrs. Cornwell is a strict woman. Don't make her mad, and I believe you will do just fine under her tutelage." 

Mirabelle stepped back into line, bowing to the Baron. 

"Now, your turn" Martin called, gesturing to Lena. 

She stepped forward, taking a deep breath. Here was a moment, with no turning back. She looked up the the Baron, and the craftmasters. She took another deep breath. " My name is Marlena, My Lord."

The baron looked at her, raising an eyebrow. "No second name?" He asked, and when she nodded, he grinned and told her, "No matter, you're not the first ward to come through with no second name." He, and the other craftmasters recalled a day, many years ago, when a little brown haired boy had been in the same position, and demanded to be a knight. He looked down at her, "Well, my dear, what would you like to be?"

They all felt a shock, and had all quietly laugh to themselves at the irony when Lena said, firmly, "I wish to be a Ranger."

The other wards snorted, and attempted to hide their laughter. The Baron's eyebrows both shot up, and he smiled. He then looked around, and not seeing either of the fief's rangers, looked to Pauline. "Could you...?" He asked, knowing that she had the best chance at talking to one of the rangers, either Halt, though retired, or Will, the current Redmont Ranger. 

The tall courier nodded. "Will spoke to me this morning. He said that he would be willing to take the girl if she desired to be a ranger. He had to leave to deal with the issue up north, but I can talk to Halt about arrangements for now."

Baron Arald nodded. He and most the others were trying to figure out how Will had known that Lena would have asked to be a ranger, but they put it down to being one of the mysterious powers of the rangers. Arald again laughed to himself of the irony. Although he figured that Lena wouldn't be climbing through his window later that night. He looked down at the five wards, where the small girl was standing tall and determined, and the others in varying degrees of shock, and conversing with each other. " Well, you all have the day to be free, and first thing tomorrow report to your respective craftmasters. Lena, the Ranger Halt should be contacting you sometime soon."

She nodded, and gave a small bow. 

Martin lead the craftmasters out of the room, and then returned to dismiss the wards. A the five wards left the room, she ducked her head. The others, as soon as they were out of the hearing range of the adults, started taunting her again. 

Lena took off running, narrowly missing the Lady Pauline as the older woman came out of a side hallway, heading back in the other direction. The courier turned as the small girl ran past, and noticed tears running down the girls face, and then saw the other four wards as they came around the corner, all laughing. She pursed her lips. Something was going on here. Pauline paused, and as the four youth went past she turned and went down a different hallway. The paperwork she had been heading to collect could wait. She was going to talk to her husband about a ranger's apprentice.


	3. Cabin in the Woods

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lena's life as a ward comes to an end as she is taken to the little ranger cabin in the woods.

Lena rolled her eyes. She once again stood and was staring out the window. Although this time it was the one in the common room, not her bedroom. 

The reason being, was that the other two girls were preening in front of the two boys. But, she shrugged. At least they has stopped pestering her, turning their attentions to their own futures, making grand plans for things that were still years off. 

“Lena” they had called to her, “Why in all the world, would they take you to be a ranger? It’s not like you have any special talents. But you might fit in, they all seem to be misfits anyway.”

She had simply turned away from them and ignored their taunts and had decided to switch their focus to the boys. Lena smiled to herself. It worked every time. She had learned that most anyone would eventually give up and stop trying to get a response out of her, so she simply did nothing. It had never failed her, especially with the other wards.  
(So what if they aren’t my friends.) She thought as she watched the activity of the castle grounds. (I’ve never needed them. I can be a ranger, no matter who I am. And the Ranger said that he came from the ward, so he probably knows what it’s like, especially if he spent as much time up in that tree as I figured from our conversation the other night.)

The girl leaned on the window sill, and crossed her arms. She looked over her shoulder as the other four wards laughed as the two boys pretended to be full knights as they fought with the iron pokers from the fireplace. She sighed; it was going to be a long day.

***

Up a few floors, in one of the apartments, Redmont’s retired ranger was ambushed by his wife. Normally, he was on guard against such things, but he had dozed off in the comfortable chair by the window, as he had been out early that morning on an errand. He was now quite comfortable, and his wife’s soft slippers made little to no sound on the stone floor. 

“Dear, there’s something we need to discuss.” Pauline said, hands on her hips.

Halt sat straight up, his hand flashing to his knifes. It took only a second to register who had spoken, and he relaxed. His expression was annoyed, although not enough to get him in trouble. “Oh? What would that be?” He asked, an eyebrow raising. 

“Are you aware Will stopped by early this morning?” She asked him. 

Halt shook his head. “ No, it must have been after I had left. Why, is something wrong?.”

Pauline smiled, “No, just something you should know. He told me that he might be taking on another apprentice.”

Halt took a moment to think about it. “Well, if he chooses to. Halt said, “Although why he would choose to do so is beyond me. But if he chooses to do so or not, it isn’t my problem.” 

“Yes, well it is about this apprentice.” She said, folding her arms. “Will said that he ran into the girl last night, and talked with her, and gave her the idea that if she wanted to be a ranger, then she could choose to do so at the gathering today. And she did. Will would have been there; except he had that issue with that gang out west.”

Halt nodded, not quite sure where she was headed with this. “And?” He promoted. 

“I want you to go pick the girl up from the ward today. The other four in there are horrid to her, and I feel that she will not have the greatest of evenings if she is left there.” She told him. 

“Form the ward? And do what? Bring her here?”

“You could, or take her out to the cabin.”

Halt looked up at his wife and stood. “Well, if you think so. Although we don’t know when Will is returning. If he’s lucky, I could see him back this evening, if not, who knows how long it will take.”

She shrugged. “You taught him. Shouldn’t take him to long to figure things out. Now, Get moving. Go look after the girl. But also, we have that meeting with Arald this afternoon.”

Halt nodded. “True. I'll be back for that. But then, I guess that I’ll go and teach her all the bad habits I can before Will returns.” He grinned, then ducked as Pauline aimed a hit towards his shoulder. He smiled at her lovingly, and disappeared out the door.

***

Back in the ward common room, Lena continued to watch out the window. She would have gone to her room, but Kierra had decided to start her packing, and was a whirl-wind as she did so. Besides, Lena had already packed up most of her things. A few sets of clothing, and the few books that she actually owned. She had already returned the ones she had borrowed, as she knew that she would probably have little chance to do so later. She had very little possessions, which made packing easier.

She glanced up as the door opened, and a cloaked figure moved in. He did so quietly, and Lili noticed that none of the other wards looked in his direction. Lena looked at him, recognizing Halt, the retired ranger. He was older then Lena had thought, but then again, it had been several decades since the Ranger had come to Redmont. She watched as he went up to the ward matron where she sat mending a torn blanket. 

The matron started as Halt came up to her, and Lena could swear that Halt rolled his eyes at her, though not noticeably. Then, the young girl had to control her own expression when the matron looked to her, and stood, gesturing for her to come over.

Lena quickly crossed the room. “Yes madam?” she said, looking at the matron. 

“The ranger here is asking for you.” The matron replied, slightly flustered. She then looked at the Ranger, who stayed silent, and then at Lena. She took a half breath, and then fluttered off, being one the people who never really saw the Rangers as anything other then dark sorcerers. 

Lena waited a moment to see is the Ranger would speak. When he didn’t she looked at him. “You were asking after me?”

He looked at her, seeming to read everything about her in a glance. “Yes. I was informed that you wish to become a Ranger.” He raised an eyebrow in her direction.

Lena nodded. “I was informed that it was a possibility.” She raised an eyebrow back. 

His eyebrow lowered. “Not normally. But if Will is willing to take you, then I suppose it can happen. How soon would you be ready to start?” 

She paused. Everything was happening so fast. “Well, my things are mostly packed. It wouldn’t take long to grab the last few things. Why?”

“If I told you to be at the main gate in ten minutes, could you be?” He asked, giving her a challenging look.

She nodded. “I could be there in five.”

He raised his eyebrow again, in challenge. “Don’t be late.” He turned, and left the room as silently has he had entered, still unnoticed by the other wards. 

***

Four and a half minutes later, Lena was at the main gate, with her small bag held over her shoulder. 

Halt was impressed, though he didn’t show it. (At least the girl is on time.) He thought to himself. 

He turned, and with a slight jerk of the head, told her to follow, and he set off down the road, to the cabin in the woods. Without saying a word, he waited, testing the girl.

Lena paused once to look back at the red walls of the castle. She then turned, and ran a few steps to keep up with the ranger. She smiled to herself as she realized that she was as tall as he was, which wasn’t actually that tall. She also felt that the older Ranger was testing her. She felt that any questions she would ask would receive little answers, or vague ones. 

As they left the village, and walked through the trees, the little cabin came into view. It was smaller than she had thought it would be, but then she thought, (Halt is small, and Will was as well. It makes sense that they also have little cabins.) 

They got to the cabin, and Halt opened the door for her. She paused, then stepped in. Lena turned, and looked around, taking in all the details at once, the tidy bookshelves, the flowers in a vase on the table, and the organized pots and pans in the kitchen. It was small, but cozy. 

Halt nodded towards one of the doors in the room. “That room there will be yours. Will’s in the other one.”

She nodded, this made sense. 

Gesturing at the door, Halt told her “Go a ahead and put your things away. I have to get back up to the castle, but feel free to make yourself at home. I will be back down with some dinner in a few hours, unless you know how to cook?”

She shook her head. “Unfortunately, that’s one thing I couldn’t learn how to do in the ward.”

He nodded. “Alright then. Any questions?”

Lena though for a moment. “Do you know when Will is supposed to be back?”

“No, I don’t.” Halt said. “He was hoping the issue could be resolved today, but if not, then he is probably blundering around in the woods hopelessly lost.”

She raised an eyebrow at him. “Oh? And what issue could be so bad that one of the most famous Rangers around, trained by yourself, could be lost in his home fief?” 

Halt returned her look. “A group of bandits. Maybe Will can go over it for you when he gets back. For now, I’ll leave you here.”

He turned and left, closing the door behind him.

Lena looked around the little ranger cabin, and realized that her life was at a changing point. Things were about to happen, and she realized that now, the life of Lena the ward was over, and the life the Lena, the Ranger’s apprentice was about to begin.


	4. What a Ranger Does

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will's apprentice Lena learns about the rangers, from the inside.

Lena looked around the small room that was now hers. Her blanket was folded on the bed, and her books were stacked on the small end table. Her clothes did nothing to fill the small closet. She left the room, and glanced around the open area. 

It was quiet in the little cabin, and as Lena moved around the room, taking a longer look at it, noticed that the room had been cleaned, but as if it had been done in a hurry. 

She grinned, and thought, (I think that Ranger Will spent last night trying to get everything cleaned.) 

She looked around. Once she located the broom, she set herself to cleaning the room a little more thoroughly. She had always enjoyed cleaning, as it was something that had always calmed her nerves, and it made the cabin seem a little less strange as she became familiar with its features. /p>

Eventually, she ran out of little tasks to do inside the little cabin, and decided to venture outside to look at the exterior. She found the small stream just through the trees, and the shower and stable at the rear of the cabin. After a while, rain started falling, and she drifted back to the interior of the cabin. She collected one of her favorite books from her new room, and she curled up in the chair under the window.

A few hours later, Lena heard soft hoofbeats coming up the road. She looked up to see a Ranger on a grey horse coming into view of the cabin, followed by a black and white dog. 

She stood, and after tossing her book gently on her bed, she moved to the door, and opened it just as the Ranger came to a stop in front of the cabin. Will tossed his hood back and nodded at her. 

“Well, it seems you beat me here. If you’ll give me just a few moments to put Tug here into the stable, I’ll meet you inside.” 

She nodded back, and watched as Will led his horse around the corner. The dog came up the steps and sniffed at her boots. The girl smiled, and reached down to rub the dog’s ears. The dog closed her eyes and leaned into Lena a little more. 

Will came around the corner and rolled his eyes at the dog. “This here is Sable. She’s a good watch dog, unless you start rubbing her ears. Then she’s useless.”

Lena looked up at him. “Oh? Really?”

Nodding, Will reached down to rub Sable’s ears. She let him, then when he stopped, she barked, and then bounded inside the cabin, curling up on one of the chairs..

Will gestured for Lena to enter the cabin, and he followed her in. After taking his cloak off, and spreading it on a chair in front of the fireplace to dry, and started a small fire. Then he turned to the small stove, and asked "Coffee?" He held to mugs up, an eyebrow raised in question. 

She nodded, "Sure. Thank you."

He smiled at her. "Finally, an apprentice who drinks coffee."

At her look of confusion, Will explained, "My last apprentice, Maddie, didn't drink coffee when she started with me."

"Oh. Ok." Lena said, and sat at the small table, watching Will. 

As he made the coffee, Will looked around, and noticed the tidy state of the cabin. He raised an eyebrow in her direction. "Did you clean?" 

She looked down at the table. "I didn't have much to do while waiting here." 

"Huh. Well, no harm done. We don't have servants out here, so we get to do it anyway. I would have had a little more done, if not for the situation I just finished up with." Will looked her over, seeing her reaction. He had noticed that she had tensed a little, and then relaxed at his words. "In fact, that's what Halt had me do on my first day as an apprentice. He enjoyed himself thoroughly that day."

She nodded, and Will handed her a mug, and they sat in comfortable silence for a moment. 

Lena had gotten the same sense from Will that she had gotten from Halt earlier, that he was testing her. She wanted to ask questions, but she knew from watching the other wards that those who asked too many questions too fast, often didn’t get the answers they were looking for. She had learned to observe first, then ask questions. 

She watched the rain fall gently as she sensed Will studying her. She wondered to herself how long his patience would hold. After a few minutes, she grinned to herself, showing no outward sign of her amusement. Will sat quietly, however, the longer she was quiet, the more tension she felt. Will’s knee was bouncing under the table. 

Finally, she decided to give in a little. “Are all Ranger cabins like this one?” She wondered.

The tension broke, and the sigh of relief that Will made was almost audible. “They are to a degree. They vary a slight bit based on location, but essentially they all look like this one.” Will looked at her, wondering how much she already knew about the Ranger corp. She didn’t seem awed by him, as he remembered himself being on his first day. “Can you think of why? Or why we even have cabins in the first place?”

“Well, I know that the rangers are under the King, or Queen for that matter. So, that means you’re not under the Baron, which could make things weird to be in the castle. And cabins are easier to build, so put two and two together, you get Ranger cabins.” She said, looking up at him to see if her guess was right. 

Will looked at her, openly impressed. “Well said. That’s essentially it. Not all the barons are like ours. Some are rather stuffy and want their local ranger to be at their beck and call at all times.”

“Although we would help the baron if they asked for help?” She asked, setting her mug down. “Or does it not work that way?”

Will leaned back in his chair. “Well, usually. I would, and I believe that the other rangers would as well. We try to work with the barons in partnership, at the least. As long at it is an issue that would, or could affect the kingdom, then we would. Our goals are to keep the kingdom at peace, so we help those who need it, and deal with those who try to counter that peace. What else do you know about Rangers?”

Lena paused for a moment thinking. “I know that King Hebert established the Rangers, and made Araluen what it is today back when he was king. The years since then have developed lots of different skills, such as extremely good archery, knife skills, and the ability to move quietly and unnoticed, and this has made them an elite force. And kind of recently, the rangers are becoming known internationally due to those skills and the kingdoms relations with others.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Kind of recently?”

“I mean, it’s only been a few decades since the first international treaty due to the rangers.” She said, sarcastically. 

Will’s eyebrow dropped, matching the other in a glare. “It hasn’t been that many years.”

“Sure. Whatever you say.” Lena looked at him, trying not to grin. 

He rolled his eyes up to the ceiling. She could have sworn then that he muttered to himself about what a bad idea getting an apprentice was, and why did he ever think that he could do it again. 

“Any thing else?” He asked her. 

“Well, I assume from what you said last night, and what Halt mentioned earlier today, that rangers patrol for danger and take care of problems. But that's about all I have found, and most of that was from old records that I have been able to read.”

Will nodded. “That's what we do, in a nut shell. And, as you mentioned earlier, we are also doing a little more on the international front, as other countries ask for aid. There was a task force created some years ago that covers this. Mainly, it is myself, Halt and then Horace, one of my closest friends.”

Will then explained a little more what rangers did, and how their relationship varied depending on who they were working with. 

Then, Tug whinnied from the back of the cabin. Will looked out the window. “Huh, Halt must be stopping by.”

Lena raised an eyebrow at him. “How can you tell?” 

He looked back at her. “That specific sound means Tug heard a friend. He only makes that sound if it’s a fellow ranger, or Horace. He also will make different sounds based on others coming this direction, for those who are unknown to possible threats or dangers.”

“That’s cool.” She said. “Is that all ranger horses, or just Tug?”

Will grinned. “All of them. They are not exactly average horses.”

They rose as Halt came around the cabin from back, as he put his horse in the stable. He had a basket with a towel over it on one arm.

“What’s this?” Will asked, gesturing at the basket while he poured Halt a cup of the coffee he had made. 

Halt set the basket on the table and took off his cloak and put it on a chair next to Will’s. “I assumed you were off wandering lost in the forest, so I brought the girl food. Since she is a helpless lost child from the ward, just like you were.”

“I wasn’t that lost.” Will protested. 

Halt just looked up at him. 

Lena giggled. "I have a feeling I'm not as lost as someone once was." 

“Hoe so?” Halt asked her, taking a seat at the table. 

“Well, a few moments ago, Will asked me what I knew of the rangers, and I got the impression that he expected me to know very little.” She said, retaking her own seat. “I got the vague impression that I was supposed to be the ignorant little ward from the castle.”

Halt looked over to Will, who had turned his back, and was busy with the coffee pot. There was something to the body language of the younger man that made him think that Will was doing his best not to let his face turn bright red. 

“I do believe I remember a little ward who was like that.” Halt told her, a glint of amusement in his eyes. “I also remember that this said ward tried to bluff his way into saying the answers.”

Lena glanced over at Will. “Wow. Yeah, I don’t think that I would do that. But I also think that that little ward has since learned a bit about rangers, at least, I think so.”

Finally, Will turned back around. “Yes, I have. Thank you very much.” He glared at Halt. 

Lena watched as she saw the two interact. They continued to banter back and forth, and she saw a whole new side to the rangers. To the outside world, they were cloaked and mysterious, and she had always seen them as a quiet people who lived in legend. But now, she was on the inside, and could see a whole new side to the rangers, one of companionship and humanity, and as she sat there, she felt welcome, for the first time in her life.


	5. To Be A Ranger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lena comes one step closer to being a full ranger, learning from a ranger of legend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is a little longer, please enjoy. And don't worry, part 2 is the series is coming soon! Thanks!

The evening rain passed soon after Lena and the two rangers finished eating the dinner that Halt had transported from the castle. 

“So, Marlena.” Halt said catching her eye as she finished off her cup of coffee. “Do you think you can survive with Will hear if I head back up to the castle?” 

She nodded. “ I think so. Thank you Halt, for getting me out of the ward room early.”

He bowed his head, and stood, draining his own cup. He tossed his cloak back over his shoulders, and cuffed Will gently on the back of the head as he passed. “Be nice. Marlena, if Will here gives you too much trouble, you can come find myself or Lady Pauline up at the castle.” 

She smiled at him, and he returned one, causing Will to roll his eyes. Halt was getting soft in his old age Will thought to himself. 

After Halt let himself out, Will studied his new apprentice. She gave him a challenging look. 

“Yes?” She asked when he said nothing.

Will shrugged. “Nothing. Well, I don’t know about you, but I am exhausted from last night. How about we turn in early, and then start fresh tomorrow?” 

“That sounds pleasant.” Lena agreed. She had not slept well the night before, having pondered over her choice for choosing day, and then had given up on trying to sleep once the morning light had started to brighten the sky. 

Will bid her a good night, and they retired to their respective rooms. 

***

Lena woke suddenly the next morning. Light entered though the window, and for a moment, she was lost to where she was. She sat up, and remembered. She was an apprentice ranger now! She slid off the bed, and dressed in a clean tunic, and pulled on her boots. 

Once she opened the door, she could smell bacon and eggs frying. Will stood at the stove, and he nodded to her as she approached.  
She looked around, and went to pour a cup of coffee, but the pot was nearly empty. “Looks like someone had an early morning”, she remarked, and filled a cup of her own. 

“I had reports to fill out.” Will grumbled.

Lena went up to the wall beside the stove and looked at the food. “Is it hard to cook?” She asked him as he shuffled the bacon around in its pan. 

He looked up at her. “Depends on what you are making. This is pretty easy, unless you haven’t done it before.”

“Like an ignorant ward?” She asked.

He paused with the bacon to look up at her as she grinned. “Yes. Exactly.” 

Lena noticed that his eyes, which were usually a warm brown, had darkened as he stared at her. She smiled, and said, “Well, I guess you’ll just have to teach me then.”

He rolled his eyes. “Fine. Pan goes on the stove, make it hot. Then, put the bacon in, and keep an eye on it. You want the pieces to start to become crispy, but not burn to the pan. To long in the pan and you get shards. The eggs, same concept. You don’t have to stir them, unless you want them scrambled. I use butter to keep it all from sticking to the pan. Any questions?”

Shaking her head, Lena said, “Nope. I think I got it. Pan hot, food in, don’t let it burn.”

The corner of Will’s mouth turned up. “Basically. It would seem simple, but if you don’t know how, your breakfast will turn out, well, interesting.”

“Sound like you speak from experience.” She said, and crossed her arms. 

“I do, but not a mistake of my own.” He said, smiling at the memory. “Maddie’s.”

“Sounds like she was a handful. Didn’t drink coffee, and had no idea how to cook breakfast.”

Will shrugged. “She’s a princess. Not like she had tons of time to learn those skills as she grew up, but it did make some interesting memories.” He slid the eggs onto two plates, and added slices of bacon to each.

Lena paused as she registered what Will had just said. “Wait. Princess? Like, Princess Madelyn?”

Will nodded. “It’s not well known that she is a fully trained ranger, but now you are one of us, you should know.” 

She sat back in her chair. “Wow. I guess I never put the two ideas together. But it makes sense.”

“That’s the idea.” He told her. “It’s been useful in the past.”

They sat together at the table, and their conversation paused as they ate. Once they were both done, Will put the plates in the wash basin, and gestured for Lena to follow him outside. On the way past the door, he picked up a leather bundle. 

Out in the clearing next to the cabin, Will stopped and knelt, laying the bundle on the ground. Lena joined him, and saw the bundle contained a bow, a quiver of arrows, and two knives in a unique looking sheath. She noticed that Will wore one that matched. 

She listened as he explained the different weapons. He also told her about the strikers and the sling. They spent the rest of the morning going over the weapons, and showing her how each was used. Then, that afternoon they went into the village to get Lena her ranger cloak and other clothing. 

In the village, Will decided that they would stop at Jenny’s restaurant after they had gotten Lena her clothing. 

They entered, and Will slipped to the side as they entered. He paused, and as Jenny came out the door of the kitchen, following one of her serving girls, both laden with large platters of food. Will waved to his friend, and then motioned Lena to follow. He sat at one of the tables along the side wall, where there were less people. 

Jenny set her platters down, and told the table to enjoy their meal. She then turned and practically bounced over to Will and Lena. 

“Hey stranger, haven’t seen you in here for ages!” She called, pulling Will into a hug. Lena smiled as the ranger tried to escape the tight embrace. 

Jenny looked aver at her. “And who’s this?” She released Will and poked his arm with her ladle. He rubbed his arm mockingly, and rolled his eyes up to the ceiling. 

“This is Marlena. My new apprentice.”

The girl stuck out her hand. “You can call me Lena.” 

Grinning, Jenny shook Lena’s hand. “Well Lena, It is nice to meet you. Are you enjoying becoming a ranger?” 

The girl nodded. “I think so, I just started yesterday.” 

“It was her choosing day,” Will said, looking up at Jenny. 

Jenny laughed. “That brings memories back.” She grinned at Will. “Well, I have to get back to the kitchen. Shall I bring you some of today's special?” 

Will nodded, “That sounds wonderful. Thank you, Jenny.”

She waved, and turned back to the kitchen, humming as she went. 

“What did she mean that it brings back memories?” Lena asked Will while they waited. 

Will looked at her, “Huh? Oh, Jenny was one of my wardmates, back when we were still wards”

“How many were there? In your year group I mean.” She asked. 

He raised an eyebrow at her. “There were five of us. You know Jenny now, and then George, you saw him yesterday. Then Horace, who’s now the champion knight of the kingdom. Then myself, and Alyss.”

His eyes grew darker, and he grew quiet at this. Lili waited a moment. “She was your wife, right?”

He nodded, closing his eyes briefly. 

Lena waited again, sensing that she had touched a delicate subject. Then she shifted in her seat as she realized something. “You’re friends with all of them?” She asked him, tilting her head at the question. 

“Yes.” Will said, not sure where she was going with the question. 

“So, if you’re friends, then why did you climb the fig tree so often?” 

Will shook his head, grinning at her question. “Well, we are friends now, but when we were wards, I was a bit of an outcast. Horace and I in particular didn’t get along.”

Lena nodded, understanding. Just then, Jenny exited the kitchen with their lunch. 

They ate, and then bidding Jenny farewell, they returned to the little cabin in the woods. 

The next few days were filled with Will carefully teaching Lena the trade of a ranger. 

***

Then, one morning, they finished with breakfast, and as the went out to the yard, Will motioned for her to wait as she moved to start her daily practice with the re-curve bow Will had given her. 

Puzzled, she followed him to the back of the cabin, where Will was now rubbing Tug’s ears. “I have something different in mind for today” He told her, and motioned for her to follow. 

She shrugged, and she, along with Tug, followed Will off through the trees. The grey horse walked along, and Lena couldn’t help but smile, and rub his ears. The young girl had become fast friends with the little horse. 

Will rolled his eyes at them, but Lena just grinned back. She looked at Will, then at his horse. “Wait, are we going to get me a ranger horse?” 

Will turned and looked at her, hiding a smile as he noticed his apprentice barely staying on the ground. “Every ranger needs one.” 

She was so excited, she leaped up, and twirled as they walked. Then, noticing Will had rolled his eyes, walked a little more sedately, still grinning broadly. 

“Poor ranger, one that bounces through the forest.” Will muttered, mostly to himself. His horse bumped him, and he shoved back gently, before patting Tug on the side of his neck. 

(I know) Will thought to his horse. (I was just that excited when I met you. I just can’t let her know that.) 

They soon arrived at Saddler’s Farm. Will waved to the bow legged man who was walking a bay horse around the yard. The man waved back, and patted the bay on the neck, and lead her towards the big multistory barn. “Be with you in a moment, Ranger” he called. 

Will waved in return, and laughed as a grey horse, similar to Tug, came trotting up to the road where they walked. “Well, good to see you too!” Will rubbed the horse on the ears, and pulled an apple from inside his cloak. 

Lena laughed and gave Tug a small hug as he huffed at the other grey. 

Will looked at him, and shook his head. “You have to share boy. Bellerophon also deserves some love too.”

Just then, the bow legged man came back into view. “Well, good to see you Ranger Treaty. And this must be your young apprentice?” 

Will nodded, and Lena shook the man’s hand. “I’m Lena.”

He smiled at her, “And you can call me Bob, young miss. Now, what can I do for you.”

Lena looked over at Will, who nodded. “Will says that all rangers need a horse, and so we came to see if there is one for me.”

“That there is, I’ve got one just for you.” He smiled at her, and laughed, then asked “What do you know about the horses of the Rangers?” 

“Well, I’ve really only spent any time around Tug here, but I know that they have amazing speed and endurance. Along with a love for apples.” 

Bob laughed, his head going back. “She’s a smart one Ranger Treaty, I’ll give you that.” He motioned for them to follow him, and lead them towards the barn. 

Will nodded his agreement. 

“Well, there’s a few other things about these here horses.” Bob said to her as they rounded the barn towards the field. “They are incredibly smart, and have a specialty to them. Can you guess what that is?”

Lena bit her lip, thinking. “Only rangers have them.” 

Bob nodded, “Well, that is true. The one big thing, is that no ranger horse can ever be stolen.”

“Never?” Lena asked. 

The old man nodded. “Never. Many a ranger has been saved due to this. No horse, means no escaping when it get rough.”

Will leaned on the fence. “That true. I’m one of them.” Then, at Lena’s questioning look, he shook his head. “That’s a story for another time.”

She blew a raspberry at him, and then turned to Bob. “That sounds amazing. Which one is going to be mine?” 

Bob nodded, directing her attention to the gray horse coming up from the far end of the field. His coat was a dark shade of grey, and Lena’s attention was entirely on him. 

She hopped over the fence, and laughed as the horse came right up to her. She held out her hand, and he paused, then bummed it with his nose. 

“This ‘un here is named Wolf.” Bob said, grinning as he saw the connection between the two. 

“Wolf?” Will questioned. “That’s a little unusual.”

Bob looked at him. “He tries to howl with the wolves when they’re out." He grabbed the blanket and saddle sitting on the fence post, and showed Lena how everything fit together to sit on the horse. 

”

Will nodded, not entirely convinced. He looked at Lena, who was enthralled with the horse. “Why don’t you try and ride him.”

“One moment,” Bob interrupted, “Anything you want to know beforehand?” He looked at Lena, his head tilted in question. 

The girl paused, sensing something. Then, seeing a gleam in Will’s eyes, she looked at the old horse farmer. “You said that no ranger horse can be stolen. Right?” 

The old man nodded. 

Lena looked at her horse. “How does that work?”

Will looked at her, “No one can come up and steal your horse. That’s all there is to it.”

She raised an eyebrow at him. “So, no body can come along, and jump on a ranger horse, and ride away?”

The two men nodded, and Lena looked back at Wolf, who stood there expectantly. He turned his head to look directly at Lena. “You want me to do something. Don’t you.” 

Will looked shocked as she asked this, and the horse actually nodded. 

Bob cackled, and leaned on the fence to prevent himself from falling over. “I have been doing this for many, many years Ranger Treaty, and this is truly the only time, any apprentice has actually managed to ask the right questions.”

Will shook his head. He turned and faced back towards the barn. “I give up.” He said, placing his hands on his hips and looking up to the clouds. 

Lena looked at the two men, and shrugged. Then, looking at Wolf, she seemed to see him shrug as well, though that was impossible. 

“Well, my dear,” Bob said as he came over to her. “As I said, you are the first apprentice to figure out that a ranger must do something to ride his horse, and not end up like those who would try and steal the horse.”

“So, what exactly happens when, if, someone tries to steal a ranger horse?” Lena asked, running her hand through Wolf’s mane. 

“He ends up on the ground. And the horse will do anything to keep them off.”

Lena looked thoughtful, and then noticed that Will, now leaning on the fence seemed to be sulking, not his usual mood. “So, let me think here. So, every single apprentice has come to get their horse, and not a single one before me figured out that, to ride your horse, you have to do something before? And since not a one has figured it out, they all end up on the ground?” 

The old man nodded, smiling at her. “You are correct. Since most apprentices rush into it, they do end up on the ground. It’s a right of passage.”

“So, how DO I ride Wolf here?” She asked him, smiling at him. 

“Each Ranger horse has a code phrase. No code phrase, no riding.” He smiled back at her. 

She looked at him, waiting. 

Bob grinned. “For Wolf here, you tell him ‘The moon is rising”

Lena raised an eyebrow. “Really?” 

“It fits him.” The old man gestured to the horse, giving her an incentive to try it.

The young girl stepped closer to the horse. In the corner of her eye, she caught Will now watching expectantly, and Bob nodding encouragingly. Wolf looked at her with his dark eyes. She stroked his neck, and then said softly to the horse, “The moon is rising.” 

The grey bumped her gently, and she smiled at him. Then, with encouraging gestures from Bob and Will, she climbed on the little gray. Then, when Bob gestured out to the field, the young apprentice turned her horse and headed out. 

Lena was amazed. She had never felt so alive. She yelled, and Wolf, sensing her excitement, started to run. Together, horse and Ranger circled the field. Lena laughed, and hugged the horse’s neck. As she headed back to the barn, where she saw Will and Bob waiting, both smiling at her, she thought to herself,

“This is what it means to be a ranger.”

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone, the prior title to this work was "The Newest Apprentice." Just to let you know. I changed it to better reflect the story told, in addition to changing Lili's name to Lena. It is a personal choice that it felt fit her character better. Thanks for reading, hope you enjoy!


End file.
